from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. welcome to thirsty thursday, april 3rd. today is a good day, not just because it's balmy out -- >> yes, beautiful. >> -- but idina menzel is here, she has a hit on broadway and anytime she sings for you is a good time. >> it is a good time. we also have lou manfredini. he'll help you fix some things. and louis and jill are here to ambush some people. >> ambushing. and spam, we'll talk about that in a little bit. >> very important. her broadway show, idina

menzel's broadway show is called "if/then." i didn't know what the concept was, but now i get it. >> because you saw it. >> because i saw it. and i got it. it's almost like the "sliding doors" story, like parallel lines. there is a woman in the park and she answers the phone. if she takes the call this happens. if she doesn't take a call, that happens. if she meets the right guy, this happens. it's about choice and chance. >> yes. >> and there are two stories going at once. her name is elizabeth. one group she's liz and the other she's beth. so you -- it's a great -- great songs. >> powerhouse singer and actress. and such a sweet person. >> yes. >> like to see that happen. >> "if/then". >> i apologize for not being able to see it with you, hoda. i have -- i'm not going to talk about it because it's ridiculous. everybody's got problems. i do have a severe herniated disc that every year or so -- >> kicks in. >> -- likes to let me know who's boss. and if i hadn't gotten some physical therapy yesterday -- >> you would have been laid out. >> christian slater would be here with you today. >> but he's not. >> no, that nymphomaniac.

but anyway, a big, big happy birthday, 90 years old today, to the -- one of my favorite -- she was my daddy's favorite singer. doris day. she's 90. she's made 39 films, including "pajama game," three films with rock hudson. they were like the original, for me, the first romantic comedy that i saw. such a beautiful, beautiful relationship. and in real life they were dear, dear friends. >> wow. >> and anyway she is i think in carmel california taking good caver a lot of animals and good care of herself. and i don't think she ever, ever received the respect that this woman deserves in the industry, either from the recording industry or from the film industry. she was a great dramatic actress as well. >> she was not oscar nominated for "pillow talk". >> she deserved it for the ruth evans story too. she was -- on behalf of my daddy and me, happy birthday, doris. >> let's talk about nigella lawson. >> okay.

>> this is the weirdest story, i think. >> we were stunned by this. it doesn't make any sense at all to us. >> she was boarding a flight from london to come to l.a. she's at the airport, and -- >> holding a first-class ticket. >> and she gets stopped and they tell her, i'm sorry, ma'am, you cannot board the flight to the united states. and she probably said why? we're pretending. we don't know exactly what happened. but she said why. and because she admitted on the stand -- >> under oath. >> under oath to past drug use, that she had used i think cocaine, she said -- >> and marijuana. which is legal lots of places now. >> you remember there was a trial and her -- it was her assistants who thought they didn't get money or something. anyway, that fact came out. it wasn't even about that case, but that fact came out. even though she wasn't convicted of it, but she admitted to it, there is some law that said if you are an admitted drug user you can't come into the country. first of all -- >> that would bar how many people?

most of my friends. >> how are people getting in here and getting out of here and coming back again? what about all the rest of them? >> boy george was stopped once. and the late amy winehouse was as well. >> but all these -- what about like a justin bieber? i don't know what his -- you see him in some videos smoking it looks like something funny. >> i wonder what kind of a homeland security threat she is. she's going to cook something you don't like? i don't get that. i think there needs to be some kind of consistency in our law. every law. ridiculous. state to state, country to country. can we just have something we can count on please? >> it's not even like she was convicted of it. >> no. she just admitted it. >> she admitted she used it before, and that would bar a lot of people. >> this is what is confusing on a moral level. if she had lied, which we say is wrong, everybody but you thinks it's wrong to lie, then she would have been allowed into the country. >> yeah. she brought -- they asked her and she said she did. how embarrassing that must have

been to be at the airport, getting ready to board and them stopping you. one thing if ahead of time, but it is like -- >> when they say your credit card has been denied -- >> you know what, i've always thought, you know what, run it again. no, run it again. fine, fine. >> puzzled. >> you're looking around. >> i know. >> and you really -- you feel like such a loser, you know. >> it happens. sometimes even when it takes a long time, i get a panic thing. i'm, like, it's not going through, it's not going through, it's not going through. you know what, i'm n great with bills. >> no. >> and sometimes -- you know what i forget. >> you're not great with mail of any sort. >> mail. sometimes i forget and i'm, like, whenever i go to my apartment if all the lights are out, i'm like, oh, my god, the con ed bill. but the cleaning lady comes on wednesday and she turns the lights off.

i have everything on and i get scared or the cable is not working and the first thing i think is what did i do? >> hoda has all kinds of slips that come in the mail. you almost went to jail for not responding to -- >> jury duty. >> jury duty. she has no time for such things. >> here's the thing. the mailboxes in new york are small. you can't fit that much in there and they jam mine so full. so every couple of weeks i get in there and yank it out, and go through things. >> every couple of weeks. by the way i tried to call you yesterday. your mailbox was full. >> my phone was -- okay. all right, so anyway, we did reach out and nbc news -- >> as nbc news. because that's what we do. >> we reached out to nigella lawson and she had no comment. okay. >> we just want her to come on and cook. but apparently, she can't do that. all righty. we talked yesterday about that mile high club. and this guy that has the -- i don't want to give him any more attention. >> he's from vegas. it's called the love cloud. you can pay $800 to get intimate in the skies above. >> or you can stay home and do it for free. >> anyway. so there was a couple on an air canada flight. one of those -- >> why is it always canada? canada's a lovely country with

lovely people. >> two people were on the air canada flight. it was one of those commuter flights. it wasn't a big -- >> two-hour daytime shutting flight. picture that. >> they were arrested for engaging in a sex act while on the shuttle. >> the stories we talk about where we have tons and tons of information i'm not always interested in. but the ones like this where there is nothing else, that's it, you don't know who they are and what their relationship was. >> we're hearing all kinds of different stories. >> we're hearing all kinds of different stories. and apparently somebody said that the man's wife was waiting for him at the destination. >> so there was another woman. we don't know if that's true. but we do know -- >> we know it was a woman and a man. >> woman and a man. but we don't know if it was in the restroom or in the seats. i mean think about how that would be if you were sitting around them. that would be horrible. horrifying. >> this woman faces additional charges. we thought it was the man. >> the woman. >> it's the woman. and we do not know if alcohol was involved. >> causing a disturbance,

assaulting a police officer, and mischief. >> and justin bieber was not on this flight, we want you to know. >> no, he was not. they both pleaded not guilty to this. anyway we did reach out to air canada. but you know what? >> they're off with nigella. whatever -- >> no response. >> nobody wants to talk to us, let's be honest. >> all right. so if you've gone to a hotel lately and you order room service, can you believe the prices of room service? >> yeah. >> you don't even know. you're, like, i'll have two eggs and some toast. and up comes the meal, it doesn't look so great, you eat it, and then when you check out you go, oh my god, what's the $33? and that's for the egg and the toast and a small pot of coffee. >> a little bit of orange juice. i know. >> trip adviser decided to find out which are the most expensive cities for room service. okay. >> not surprising, las vegas is the most. right? >> but here's what they added up. this is all you get. a club sandwich, the dry cleaning of a single shirt

and from the mini bar you get a bottle of water because you're parched, tiny thing of peanuts because you're starving, and a little bit of vodka because you're with us. ? >> because it's there. >> and a can of soda. all that totaled in vegas would cost $68. for one shirt to get dry cleaned and -- that's ridiculous. >> you only use the dry cleaning if you absolutely have to. if you could train yourself to go every time you check into a hotel, train yourself to just go by the snack place right then and get your twizzlers for what, whatever they cost. >> i don't know. >> you're going upstairs because that's what -- that's where they get you. >> remember when you used to make long distance phone calls from those phones? >> yeah. >> they would get you because that was the thing. the charges were crazy. now everyone has cells so no one uses those, but anyway. >> i remember trying to make long-distance calls on carnival cruise ships back then when you couldn't -- and they were pricey. absolutely.

>> today you need to read our brilliant column -- >> don't try to get past my ihoda. >> it's in the "daily news" today. >> here we go. this one you're going to like. >> don't hurt my neck. >> it is very mellow. it is a zac brown band song. >> i love them. >> and it's a very -- because you know what? i went crazy on "i luh ya papi" last time and you were upset. >> i think that's what set my neck in spasm. >> it's called "whatever it is" by zac brown. >> i like it already. ♪ she got eyes that cut like a knife and lips like sweet wine ♪ ♪ and a pretty face go to heaven every time ♪ ♪ she got a gentle way that puts me at ease ♪ ♪ when she walks in a room ♪ ♪ i can hardly breathe got a smile knock a grown man to his knees ♪ ♪ whatever it is it blows me away ♪

♪ she's everything i want to say to a woman but couldn't find the words to say ♪ ♪ she got whatever it is i don't know what to do ♪ ♪ every time i try to turn around the feeling comes out i love you ♪ ♪ you got whatever it is ♪ >> beautiful. >> not exactly perfect rhymes but i didn't care because it was so much better than last week. what is that -- >> spam. >> fried spam. everyone is eating spam again. >> some things never go out of style. >> making a comeback in new york city restaurants. they're frying it, putting it in sushi. with sticky seaweed. i think it's best fried. >> i'm not a fan. my mother loves it. it is made of pork, salt, water position, tait starch, sodium -- no, thank you. by the way anyone that had nice comments about my mom and prayers for her, thank you, everybody. she's doing okay. it was not a heart attack, which we had feared, and she's resting comfortably and probably enjoying a little bit of spam.

is it okay or not okay hoda, to kill off a popular tv character? >> here's what we had to say. >> sometimes the producers have no choice, hoda, because the actors are ready to move on. all they can do is offer them the world to stay and kill them off brilliantly if the answer is no. >> here's my answer -- >> okay. >> of course it's okay. as long as it's not one of the characters i love. >> of course it's always about you. >> me, me, me, me, me, me. >> all right. >> sometimes it doesn't work out. >> i like that one. >> we'll do a shoutout now. >> if you want to shed your winter weight and slim down by memorial day, we want to help you. >> you want to go down one dress size. >> we're kicking off a new segment with madelyn fernstrom. it's called drop a dress size. madeline will help you get in shape by memorial day. >> and in your thong. go to klgandhoda.com and let us know you want to join us, okay. all righty. >> they've been pampered and prim primped. >> and we're going to reveal our ambush makeovers.

>> and the wickedly brilliant broadway star who became a household name. thank you, john travolta. we knew her before, though, idina menzel. >> but first, these messages.

idina menzel became an overnight sensation when john travolta introduced her as adele dazeem for her performance of "frozen" song "let it go" at the oscars. >> but the tony award-winning actress made a name for herself so long ago, long before that, in "rent" the musical and the movie. and the original eth the'll button in the broadway show "wicked." she won the tony for that. ♪ no wizard that there is or was ♪ ♪ is ever going to bring me down ♪ >> oh my god. >> did you ever miss that note, idina? >> yes. >> did you? >> i don't think so. >> the week of the tonys, it was such a crazy week and we had nine shows instead of eight

because of the tonys, whatever. anyway, and i got up there and i said it -- ♪ >> idina is now back on broadway in "if/then," a contemporary musical that follows two parallel storylines of a woman who faces the intersection of choice and chance. hi. >> hi. >> so great to have you here. she did two shows yesterday and was here at 5:00 this morning -- 6:00 this morning for a sound check. how are you holding up? >> i'm fine. my son gets me up early anyway. >> how old is your son? >> he's 4. >> how cute. now, the concept of this show is genius. it is, like, how all of us do, we meet this guy or this guy in our lives and take different paths. tell us in a nutshell what the show is like. >> well yeah. so a woman my age, who returns -- >> 22. >> exactly. who returns to new york city

from a bad marriage and she's just looking to start her life over. >> yeah. >> there's liz and beth. >> yeah. >> and you use glasses so the audience knows -- it would be too difficult to -- >> yeah. we added that. and there's a lot of different creative things we do so that everyone can follow. what is happening there? there is james. you'll see him singing, james snyder. >> he sings a duet with you. you're a broadway veteran and all of a sudden this thing happens, i saw you at the academy awards. your beautiful sister was with you. you are among the most delightful people that came through the whole line. >> oh we were just trying to really take in the moment. >> but everybody asked you what you thought at that point. we all know what you said afterwards which was so classy. you know that it's done you so much more good than anything. >> sure. >> sure put you on the radar. >> right when he said it what did you think? right when you were about to perform? >> i said to myself, did that

really just happen? and then i just told myself get over it fast. >> that's where your broadway training comes in. >> take my ego out of it, i'm at the oscars, do your thing. >> nothing like that theater training, though, for moments like that. >> could you believe just what happened after that? it was like an avalanche of pr. >> i felt so badly for him. >> he apologized, but did he ever explain what happened? was it a teleprompter problem? >> i don't know. he sent beautiful flowers and a beautiful e-mail, very sweet, yeah. we all have our days, so -- >> yes, we do. that day you blew it on the high note. that's all people can talk about. >> you have your period one day. your voice is all raspy. and they're like oh, she's -- give me a break. >> just you wait. >> well, it is a great show. >> are we not allowed to talk -- >> yes. but we cannot discuss certain alcoholic beverages. >> enough already. >> we're so happy for you,

sweetie. i'm going to come see you, i promise. great, great, rave reviews. >> standing ovation, by the way, happens the minute it's over. it's like the whole place gets up. >> thank you. >> do i smell tony? maybe. >> idina's going to be back to perform a little later in the show for us. >> all right. here is a tip. we have a prank that might have you doing nice things for people all day. and it is webtastic. >> and louis and jill put the final touches on our "ambush makeover" ladies. >> see their new looks after this. hey kevin...still eating chalk for hearburn? yea.

try alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heart burn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. alka-seltzer fruit chews. enjoy the relief!

it is time for webtastic, when we show you the newest videos that will have you hitting send to all of your friends. >> that's right. from break.com's prank it forward. instead of playing an

embarrassing joke on unsuspecting individuals, these guys are trying to spread positivity. how nice. >> this time they have chosen a 24-year-old waitress named chelsea roth who's had her fair share of obstacles because of family issues. she began raising her sister at just 8 years old. >> as a teen she battled an eating disorder and later suffered a stroke. so her boss at the spring street smokehouse in los angeles thought she was deserving of something a little special. watch. >> 20 on the table and a thousand in the -- >> oh. tip $1,000. >> what did you say to that man? >> i didn't say anything to him. >> i only have money for the actual bill, i don't have it for the tip, but we have a travel agency and we get these vouchers for two people to hawaii. >> honestly, it's no sweat off our backs. >> really? >> awesome. >> here you go.

>> your car key. let's go outside. see that car? that's your car. >> why are you doing this? >> let's do this. >> because i want to give you a tip today. let's see who's inside. >> wait a minute! >> you taught me so much, diana. >> wow. >> my god, that is the best thing. >> how nice. >> chelsea's been a waitress for five months but her main passion is a non-profit organization she created called eat, breathe, thrive. and it serves individuals who struggle with food and body images. >> by the way, that was unbelievable. that was unbelievable. >> for every 1,000 views on break.com's prank it forward videos they're going to donate $1 to the dosomething.org. >> it's nice not to see someone falling off an escalator. you know what i mean? something good. all right. anyway.

>> although you do enjoy -- >> i like that. >> lou manfredini has solutions to your slow drain. plus the big reveal of our "ambush makeover." >> all minutes away after this.

♪ it's your thing ♪ do what you want to do ♪ we're back with more of "today" on this thirsty thursday. time for "ambush makeovers." >> two deserving women were plucked off the plaza and treated to gorgeous new looks by our crack makeover team. "today" contribute and stylist to the stars -- ♪ louis licari la la, la, la, la ♪ >> if only idina would have stayed with us. >> that would have been a good one. >> and "today" contributor and contributing editor for "people style watch" and author jill martin. >> hi, kiddos. >> hey. >> a little warm today, right? >> yeah, we had a great time out there. again, the plaza was crowded. so it was a simple chore. >> jackie olestad is first up. she's 63 from seattle, washington. now, her daughter secretly begged us to make over her, quote, hippie mom. so when her mother found out, she was more than a little bit

stunned. take a listen. >> well, mom's freaking out because you ambushed her at home, bringing her here. she didn't know you were going to give her an ambush makeover. >> she didn't. i love my mom dearly and i wanted her insides to match her outsides, even though they already do i wanted them to be even better. so i stayed up all night, put this sign together, and held it above her head and just i guess through the luck of, you know -- the roll of the dice we were selected. so thank you for, you know, recognizing what i already know. >> i know you're so gorgeous, i can't wait for this. but are you able to speak yet? >> not much. so thank you. >> all right. >> look at the cheekbones on that lady. this is going to be gorgeous. >> she's here with her daughter. keep your blindfold on. >> hold it together, please. >> here is jackie's before picture. all right, jackie. let's see the new you. >> whoa! >> wow.

>> right here. right here. you got it. wow. >> are you ready to take off your blindfold? >> i don't know. i don't think so. >> take it off. >> oh, my god. >> jill we were prepared. do you want to see yourself? >> yes, please. >> put your glasses on. >> oh. oh, my. oh. i love it! >> leave those glasses on. you look good in them. you look cute in them. >> i'm trying to think what movie star your mom looks like. >> oh, my god. >> thank you. >> look right here. >> diane keaton? >> can you imagine -- >> my god. >> i love it. >> tell us -- >> this is from hippie to glamorous. she is very glamorous, hollywood movie star. >> thank you. >> what i did -- the first thing i did is i love the streaks in her gray hair. so i kept them. i used a very translucent color. so i used a translucent color to

keep it -- it was very light, naturally. i made it a little bit blonder. all with a single process, by the way, by using a translucent color. and then, of course, igor today did this great haircut. again, her hair was beautiful but it was long and doing nothing for her. >> what do you think, honey? >> i thought you were messing with me. it's like where's my mother? i didn't recognize her. oh, my gosh. >> not april fool's. >> wonderful. >> jill, that dress is like a perfect fit. >> people always ask, how do you choose the people in the plaza. we saw her, you looked so gorgeous that we felt we can take ten years off, like that, and this was so much fun. first time in heels in how long? >> probably 30 years. >> and the dress is maggie london. >> beautiful. >> amazing. >> thank you. >> you can join your daughter right over here. >> all right. our second lady is tiffany valutis. she is 45 from lexington, kentucky. as the mother of seven kids, she never has time to do anything for herself. so she was thrilled for the chance to be pampered for just a few hours. let's hear her story. >> we're here with our own snow

white and some of her seven dwarfs. anna lee is so cute. but you're a mom of seven. so i know why you deserve this. >> my husband is an infertility doctor. we're done. this is it. busy mom here. >> so we're going to give you a gorgeous mommy makeover. what do you guys think? >> i'm really excited. i think if anyone deserves this, it's definitely her. >> okay. >> the brood is here. >> we're just watching -- i've been trying to count how many are here. she's here with almost the whole clan. george her husband jordan alli cooper anna lee, spencer, and rachel who's a family friend. let's take one last look before at tiffany and let's bring out the brand new mother of seven, tichb any va tiffany valutis. >> okay. >> wow. >> that woman had seven children, i do not believe it. go ahead, take your blindfolds off. >> wow! >> wow. >> you look great. >> you ready to see, tiffany?

>> i'm ready. >> turn around, sweetheart. >> oh, my god! that is me? >> that is you. or it's molly ringwald. i'm not sure. >> look at that! >> spin right around. >> you look fantastic. >> an absolutely different person. >> what do you think? >> she looks way gooder. i love it. >> way gooder. >> way gooder. >> you do look way gooder. i'm going to keep that line. >> so miss way gooder, what we did is igor gave her a haircut and gave her bangs. we gave her this oval-shaped face, which is just perfect. she looks great. i gave her this hair color that i think works with her complexion a little bit better. and we brought it all together with makeup. >> and that dress. >> yes. >> jill -- >> that body. >> the body after seven kids. >> maggie london dress and the shoes are shoe dazzle. again, under $50. >> fantastic. >> perfect.

>> you guys like? >> no more kids, she said. >> let's bring jackie out here. big round of applause for both of our ladies. >> lou manfredini solves all the pesky house problems. >> plus a performance by idina menzel coming up after this. ahhh. beautiful day in baltimore where most people probably know that geico could save them money on car insurance, right? you see the thing is geico well, could help them save on boat insurance too. hey! okay...i'm ready to come in now. hello? i'm trying my best. seriously, i'm...i'm serious. request to come ashore. geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. hey kevin...still eating chalk for hearburn? yea. try alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heart burn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. alka-seltzer fruit chews.

enjoy the relief!

get out that toolbox, it's time to fix all those pesky problems around the house when we ask lou. >> "today" contributor and host of the syndicated show "house smarts," lou manfredini, we adore him. he has all the answers to those house repair questions that you submitted. >> how are you, lou? >> i'm well. >> this question comes from jerry cox. he says this. we're considering the following choices for redoing our concrete pool deck, which has some thin cracks in it. paint the pool deck with acrylic paint, pavers on sand on top of the present deck, whatever that means, layer of thin concrete and paint it.

>> okay. >> what should -- >> are you with me? >> yes. >> what should jerry do? >> i am, lou. not so much hoda. >> these are pavers, cambridge pavers right here, and these are segmental pavers that could go right over the top of what they have. you'd set it in sand. there's a bag of sand down below. and now you would create this very new surface that would look beautiful. what i love about segmental paving is something cracks or moves, you can pick it up reset it and put it back down. it's great. this is a product called deck right, which is an exterior vinyl floor. you can use it on balconies, you can use it over decks, you can use it over concrete. and it's beautiful. >> what's the life span of it? >> it's a good ten years. it depends on where you live. or on concrete surfaces this product called restore, i have behind here, this is kind of a mock-up of what your concrete looks like with the crack. this is a very textured two-coat surface called restore 10x, goes over concrete, nonslip, looks

beautiful. comes in different colors. >> this is slippery and this isn't. >> it's beautiful. >> how many colors does it come in? >> it can be tinted. so you can probably get about a dozen colors. you roll it on. >> how did you get it textured like that? >> you roll it on with a textured roller. so you use the textured roller, two coats, works really great. from rust-oleum. >> next up, pamela sends us this question. i have cathedral ceilings in my kitchen and living room. with several recessed eyeball lights. >> exactly. let's go down here. >> three eyeball lights. i would like to convert the light over the kitchen at the sink to a pendant light. is there a way to doing this simply without having an electrician come down and do it? >> this is your recessed can light. when you look up in the ceiling, you see the can light up there. you're going to take the trim off of it. you're going to take the light bull p off of it. >> so far you don't need an electrician. >> you'll buy a product called a worth screw-in pendant light. you screw it in to your new can

light. there's your pendant. >> oh -- >> what? >> that's it. look how beautiful it is. comes in all different kinds. they cost about $69 to $85 depending on the choice. they'll work on a slope ceiling. you can lengthen this, go up and down, doesn't matter. works great. >> electricians are not happy about that. >> this is from rihan austin. what she wants to know is this. after water drains in the kitchen sink, it gurgles. my mom has this. >> here we go. >> 15 to 30 seconds. is there a clog. it doesn't drain slowly, though. >> this is called insta-flo made in texas. the stars at night. >> deep in the heart of texas. >> okay. you always want to wear gloves and a mask. when the drains are slow, the gunk and goop and everything in there, you activate this stuff with hot water. now, i'm not wearing goggles or gloves, just for sake of -- >> you should. >> but you should. this is boiling water. pour this in the drain and activate it. look at that. >> wow. >> now you spin it. don't breathe that just yet. >> is it okay for the environment?

>> it's fine. it's completely safe. now, there is the hair. >> i love this stuff. >> does it disintegrate it? >> yes. >> oh, my gosh. >> gross. >> this is so cool. >> what's it doing to our nostril hair? >> it's fine. it's fine. you stir this. what it does, in 60 seconds -- >> oh my gosh. >> it dissolves all the gunk. any slow drain in the shower, whatever it is -- >> no, it's fine. >> if you got a question for -- >> insta-flo. it's fantastic. >> if you have a question for lou, go to klgandhoda.com, hit the connect button. >> i'll be on lou's radio show this saturday. >> done. >> yes. >> wgn radio. there you go. >> here is the question, are you mid-life and divorced? >> wait, why wasn't i invited to the show? >> you can come on. >> yes. >> from someone who's been there. and from "let it go" to "here i go," idina menzel performs. >> when is the radio show? >> saturday morning. >> whatever.

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it is a growing trend after decades of being married. couples over 50 years old are now finding themselves divorcing at mid-life. >> the question is, are they happier? check out the scene from "it's complicated" where meryl streep reflects on her divorce as she redecorates. >> i do have one tiny note now in my bathroom, no his and her sinks. >> oh, okay, sure. no his. >> in my current bathroom i have two sinks, and sometimes the other sink makes me feel bad. >> aw. >> if you can relate, you may be among -- >> i love that movie. >> i do too. >> the 80% of divorced middle-aged women who say they do not regret their decision. one woman who has been there is psychotherapist abbie rodman, the author of "should you marry him," which is a good question to ask before you do. >> also with us is relationship expert terrence reel. >> hello, everybody. good to see you guys. >> that's interesting that the mid-life divorce didn't shock me

but the fact it's initiated 78% of the time by women is an interesting number. >> it sure is. >> what is the reasoning behind it, is there a thread of truth among it all, is there a theme? >> well, most of the women reported that they were leaving their marriages because of psychological and emotional abuse. which was a statistic that really surprised me. i expected to see other things, maybe infidelity falling out of love, other things. but women are -- >> they're tired of it. >> they're tired of it. >> a long fuse and when it is over, it's over. >> by the time 15 to 20 years goes by or however long the marriage was, they're done. >> no regrets. 80% report they don't feel bad after they make that choice. >> well i think they report being mistreated by guys. i think the open secret in couples therapy is that women want levels of emotional connection from their men that most men have not been raised to deliver. and women are dissatisfied. >> what about just -- some people have been in it that long, they'll say, what the heck, we'll stay in it. i know what i have and i don't know what's out there and that kind of thing. >> we talk about the age being

50, but that's not really middle aged. middle age -- 35, you're middle age, basically, right? >> right. we just say that gently. >> so this is not about waiting for the kids to grow up because many times they're gone before that, right? >> that's true. i mean, i did ask that question in my survey. did you ever stay together at any point for the kids? and 60% of people said they did. >> the problems were brewing long before. >> mm-hmm. >> this doesn't happen overnight. >> it doesn't happen overnight. >> someone becomes emotionally abusive. >> a lot of kids do -- a lot of people stay together for the sake of the kids and the kids get older and people just don't get the help that they need. and i think that my message is for the women who get the guy in front of a couples therapist and get a couples therapist that can really support you. >> do you think people are really changing at that age? >> i'm in the change business. i think people can change. absolutely. >> they have to both want it, though, right? you cannot change a person who does not -- first of all, there is a problem. and second of all doesn't think they're the problem. >> right.

>> but a lot of guys will change for the sake of their children and for keeping the family together. >> when they know it's the end, it could be the end, maybe they come around. >> okay. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> another depressing survey. >> okay. >> we're not depressed now because tony winner idina menzel is going to sing for us an amazing duet from her new show "if/then." >> but first this is "today" on nbc. ♪

the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> tomorrow author jackie collins steams up our kitchen. plus award-winning family vacation spots and easter fashion. >> but right now a performance by the very talented singer-actress idina menzel. >> in her new musical "if/then," idina plays elizabeth, who's living out two parallel lives. >> she embraces the journey with

co-star james snyder, and here they are singing "here i go." ♪ ♪ i want a fortune wishing on the stars ♪ ♪ and i studied all the stories ♪ ♪ and what i can't decide ♪ ♪ then my heart starts beating faster ♪ ♪ ♪ my heart starts beating faster ♪ ♪ and still here i go oh, here i go ♪ ♪ all the emotions i leave nothing to the gods ♪

♪ still here i go ♪ ♪ oh, here i go ♪ ♪ why i don't know ♪ ♪ oh, here i go ♪ ♪ you're not so romantic you know there's no surprise ♪ ♪ that you're no good at small talk ♪ ♪ or little loving lies ♪ ♪ i'm awkward i'm grateful and sometimes i'm hateful as you know ♪

♪ still here we go ♪ ♪ oh, here we go ♪ ♪ you know deep down i'm a coward ♪ ♪ afraid to let you in ♪ ♪ the only thing i'm craving is to say what might have been ♪ ♪ so here i go ♪ ♪ oh, here i go ♪ ♪ i love you so ♪ ♪ so here i go ♪ ♪ oh, here i go ♪ ♪

[ cheers and applause ] steve: i'm here to help. you and i will get through this together. [cheers and applause]